The very first mountain bike I ever laid eyes on was my college buddy’s brand new 1991 Gary Fisher Paragon. I had never wanted anything that expensive before, but it didn’t matter because I couldn’t afford it. So instead I went out and got the least expensive Gary Fisher you could buy and that brings me to where I am today - with a garage full of Fishers.

I found this 1991 Mt. Tam on eBay in pristine condition and it was a real steal. It looks almost exactly like my buddy’s Paragon only it has the now legendary RockShox RS-1, the very first RockShox suspension fork. Having it in my collection reminds me of those carefree Spring and Summer days riding with my college buddies at Pinckney State Recreation Area just outside Ann Arbor, Michigan. Good times…

The 1992 Gary Fisher Tassajara is the bike that started it all for me. Purchased brand new at Washtenaw Cycle & Fitness (now Wheels in Motion) in Ann Arbor, MI in September 1992, it’s my very first mountain bike. As soon as the tires hit the trails of Pinckney Recreation Area just north of Ann Arbor, a lifelong mountain biker was born. Since then, the bike has been through 3 phases of updates.

Phase I began immediately after purchase and included a full Shimano XT drive train, Panaracer Smoke/Dart tire combo, Onza Porcipaw grips, and a Vetta Lite saddle, all done one piece at a time while still a college student on a budget in the early 90’s.

Phase II kicked off after a 2002 move to Southern California where I not only found my first West Coast job at Supergo Bike Shops in Santa Monica, but also found the trails of the Santa Monica Mountains were a little more hectic than those of Southeast Michigan. A brand new 2002 Rockshox Duke front suspension fork, thanks to a Chris King Devolution headset, and Bonrager wheels off a brand new Gary Fisher Sugar 2+ were added along with Shimano XT V-brakes and levers.

Phase III happened when those rim brakes just couldn’t hold back 25 years of food and beer, so an Avid BB7 front disc brake was added in 2018 along with a Bontrager Race Disc front wheel from the early 2000’s. Finally, after a 26th Birthday ride (for the bike) in 2019, it was restored back to its 1992/1993 Phase I state and retired after almost 3 decades of adventures together.

When I went shopping for my first mountain bike in September 1992, around $150 stood between the entry level Gary Fisher Tassajara and the next model up, the Aquila, featuring the upgraded Tange frame and Shimano DX thumb shifters and brake levers, but $150 was a lot of money for a college kid back then. When I finally had some disposable income in my mid-30s, I started searching for the Aquila I had to pass up that day and it ended up taking another 20 years to get it. The strangest part of the story is it took moving from Southern California to Western Massachusetts to finally find it in Connecticut on Facebook Marketplace. 

So here it is, my size 18 black 1992 Gary Fisher Aquila with the DX thumb shifters and brake levers put back on along with upgraded DX brakes, XT M730 series cranks and rear derailleur, Vetta Lite saddle, Panaracer Smoke/Dart tires, NOS Onza Porcipaw grips, NOS Shimano M535 pedals, and brand new sealed bearings for the proprietary press fit bottom bracket. Finally.

So why not also get a purple size 19 that fits better now, upgrade to Shimano DX derailleurs and brakes, replace the bottom bracket bearings (never again!), and add my favorite saddle, grips, and tires?

The elevated chain stay design on the early 90’s Montare and Hoo Koo E Koo is one of the few examples where Gary’s vision could not be successfully engineered into reality. These bikes were notorious for snapping exactly where you would expect them to and it happened to my buddy’s 1991 Montare during its first season on the relatively mild trails of Southeast Michigan.

I found this very lightly used 1992 Hoo Koo E Koo on eBay, cleaned it up, put on some new tires, photographed it and flipped it. I warned the buyer who assured me it would only ever see pavement.

This 1992 Gary Fisher Paragon was purchased all original in September 2016 and given a full restoration down to the frame. This is the full Shimano XT Fisher I would have bought in September 1992 if I had $900 instead of $400 to spend.

The 1992 Gary Fisher Mt. Tam is a unicorn. It did not appear in the 1992 catalog (nor did the Aquila) and was the only other model besides the top of the line RS-1 to feature the new RockShox II fork.

Unlike the 1991 model I found, this one was ridden hard for many years and left outside to rot in the elements. I decided to have the original fork rebuilt and tucked it away. The addition of a 2002 RockShox SID resulted in a very rideable, full Shimano XT, Japanese-made quad butted Fisher masterpiece, with extra stopping power from a Shimano XTR V-brake in the rear an Avid BB7 disc brake up front.

This 1992 Gary Fisher Procaliber was purchased well used in 2009. Featuring the Italian-made Columbus Nivachrom frame, one of the lightest MTB frames ever produced, the original seat and grips had been replaced and the original tires were shot. A period correct Vetta Lite saddle, NOS Onza Porcipaw grips, and brand new Panaracer Smoke/Dart tire combo complemented the otherwise all original specs - loaded with first generation Shimano XTR M950 components.

The 1992 Gary Fisher RS-1 is one of the very first full suspension mountain bikes to go into production. In spite of being known for a few “quirks,” it is my favorite vintage mountain bike of all time.

This one was purchased well used on eBay in 2009 and the front end was upgraded to a Chris King Devolution headset, RockShox Sid SL suspension fork, Control stem, Specialized carbon bars, Shimano XTR brake levers, and an Avid BB7 mechanical disc brake replacing the classic Dia-Compe 987, along with Panaracer Fire XC Pro tires, Lizard Skins lock on grips, a period correct Shimano XTR rear derailleur, and a fresh set of Shimano SPD pedals.

In 2017 the bike got NOS rear suspension elastomers, sent to me directly by Mert Lawwwill himself, and had the pioneering (and barely functional) Mountain Cycles Pro Stop cable actuated hydraulic rear disc brake bled, probably for the first time. It didn’t make any difference whatsoever.

So my wife had a bad experience with a bicycle as a child and never tried to learn to ride again. This 1992 Gemini was my way to get her on a bike and we ended up adding a leash for the dog too. It turned out to be the funnest project I’ve ever done. All the stock Suntour stuff was replaced with Shimano XT or DX from different eras, the “upgraded” upright stem was replaced with original Fisher, and the wife got a more comfy seat and cruiser bars with skull grips. Fun for the whole family.

The 1993 Gary Fisher Supercaliber - Jason Raguso Tribute Edition

The 2002 Gary Fisher Sugar 2+ is the second bike in my collection bought brand new, my only employee purchase while at Supergo Bike Shops in Santa Monica. It immediately got a Shimano XTR M960 drive train, Mavic 517/Shimano XT wheels, Avid BB7 disc brakes, Thomson stem, Chris King headset, Selle Italia saddle, and Shimano SPD cage pedals. Replacing my 1992 Tassajara, this bike got the most miles and most abuse as the Santa Monica Mountains became my playground, ultimately requiring a new shock and fork.

Another pioneering bike from Gary Fisher, the 2002 Mt. Tam was one of the very first production 29ers. This one showed up on eBay a year or two old sporting original reflectors and street slicks, a sure sign of a lightly used mountain bike. It has since become my all time favorite bike to ride and has by far the most miles on it.

Before I got it dirty it got Shimano XT cranks, Thomson stem, Chris King headset, Selle Italia saddle, Lizard Skins lock on grips, and some proper WTB tires. After a few rides, it was clear two Shimano XT V-brakes were even less effective on 29er rims than they had become on 26ers, so Avid BB7s were added. This was the configuration I went with for the next 13 years until a Shimano XTR M960 drive train got freed up by another project. There isn’t one thing left to change on my go to rider.

After getting bitten by the 29er bug, and going on a mid-30’s fitness kick, a Single Speed 29er seemed inevitable. By this time, I had left “the industry,” but called in a favor to get a deal on a brand new 2006 Gary Fisher Rig.

As soon as I got it home (thanks Joe Byrnes!), the Bongrager cranks were upgraded to Shimano XT with a Salsa chainring. With the Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes already there, a Thomson stem, Chris King headset, Selle Italia saddle, and WTB tires rounded out the upgrades.

This bike challenged me to ride harder than I had ever ridden. Single speeds have since diminished in popularity, but there’s nothing quite like the challenge of getting one up a hill and the thrill of those big 29 inch wheels going back down.

The 2009 Ferrous was the last steel hardtail ever produced under the Gary Fisher brand. I found one on eBay not long after the end of the brand was announced in 2010 and, hard as I tried to leave it original, the Hayes hydraulic brakes were the first thing to go.

Eventually, the bike got the usual refinements including Thomson stem, Chris King headset, Selle Italia saddle, Shimano XT cranks, Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes, Lizard Skins lock on grips, and WTB tires. Fast forward 8 years and it was time to try out one of those crazy 1x12 drive trains the whole world was talking about. So here is the final version of this Ferrous with a SRAM GX Eagle drive train and the Sunrace MZ90 12-speed cassette that allows Shimano free hub compatibility with a SRAM configuration.

This bike is the essence of Morano’s Garage. An instant classic, totally brought up to date and ready for many more years of riding.

The 2010 Gary Fisher HiFi Pro 29er represents the most advanced full suspension technology released under the Gary Fisher brand. The future was already written by the time Trek announced the Gary Fisher Collection (by Trek) would be launched for the 2011 model year. With the HiFi, we already saw G2 geometry leading to stems getting shorter, bars getting wider, and Trek’s Active Braking Pivot keeping everything moving in the right direction. Today’s rugged but nimble trail bikes owe a lot to the Gary Fisher HiFi.

As a devoted hard tail rider, I finally decided 2018 was the year to get a hold of this already classic bike before it disappeared forever. Starting with the frame, Fox F100 FIT fork & RP23 FIT shock, Bontrager Rhythm Elite wheels, FSA 57 Orbits headset, and Shimano XT 770 cranks, this HiFi was given an exhaustive cleaning and built up using all the usual components preferred by Morano’s Garage. A SRAM X9 drivetrain, stripped from the now 1x12 Ferrous, was joined by a Thomson stem & seat post, Selle Italia Prolink Genuine Gel saddle, Lizard Skins North Shore grips, Shimano XTR 9020 pedals, and WTB Bronson tires. It also goes without saying, the Avid Elixr brake set was replaced with BB7s and Shimano XTR 970 levers.